Bhubaneswar: Despite efforts made at different levels for development of mineral rich areas of the State, nearly 59 percent of the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) fund has remained unutilized in the State, according to data.
As per information available at the national DMF portal, the State has collected a total of Rs 30,050.51 crore DMF fund in all 30 districts of the State.
For bringing in sustained social and infrastructural development of mineral-rich regions, DMF funds of Rs 12,402.89 crore have been utilised in the State, which means Rs 17,647.62 crore has remained unspent in the districts.
The data shows that a total of 30,947 projects worth Rs 25,942.71 crore have been sanctioned so far, of which 17,884 projects worth Rs 6032.41 crore have been completed while 8793 projects of estimated cost Rs 17491.93 crore are under different phases of completion.
Another 3267 projects worth Rs 2192.19 crore have not yet started.
During planning and execution, 697 developmental projects involving Rs 138.43 crore have been cancelled due to various reasons.
Among the 30 districts, the highest amount of Rs 12401.71crore has been collected in Keonjhar district, followed by Sundargarh district, where DMF fund of Rs 8257.17 crore has been collected.
DMF fund of Rs 3857.18 crore collected in Angul district, Rs 2434.55 crore in Jajpur district, and Rs 1549.32 crore in Jharsuguda district. The remaining districts have collected less than Rs 100 crore DMF so far.
Similarly, an amount of Rs 9509.96 crore, Rs 8181.05 crore and Rs 2916.80 crore from DMF fund have been allocated for execution of various projects in the districts of Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Jajpur districts, respectively.
These three districts remained in top three positions in utilisations of the DMF fund, as per the national portal.
Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) mandates DMFs to spend funds on priority sectors viz. drinking water, environment preservation and pollution control measures, health care, education, welfare of women and children, welfare of aged and differently-abled, skill development and livelihood generation, sanitation, housing, agriculture and animal husbandry and other priority sectors which helps in improving the lives of peoples in mining-affected areas.
To ensure effective implementation of the PMKKKY scheme, the Central Government has issued revised PMKKKY guidelines in January, 2024.
Some of the key features of these guidelines includes utilisation of at least 70% of DMF funds in the directly affected area and high priority sectors, mandatory audit of DMF accounts by C&AG, inclusion of elected representatives i.e. MPs, MLAs and MLCs in the Governing Council, grievance redressal, compliance mechanism, and establishment of State Level Monitoring Committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary.
The PMKKKY guidelines 2024 provide that Gram Sabha/ Local Bodies may aid in preparation of a prospective plan. Further, these guidelines also mandates that the utilization of DMF funds in the scheduled areas shall be guided by the provisions contained in Article 244 read with Schedule V and Schedule VI to the Constitution relating to administration of the Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas and the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension of the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.